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How to Set Leverage on X-Perps

Leverage lets you control a position larger than the margin you put in. On X-Perps, leverage is available up to 10x for all clients, both Retail and Professional. This means with €100 of margin, you can open a position worth up to €1, 000. The leverage setting is the same regardless of how you were classified through the suitability assessment. Leverage is one of the most important settings to understand before placing a trade. It directly determines how much market exposure you have, how quickly gains and losses accumulate, and how close your liquidation price is to your entry. Getting the leverage level right for your strategy is not about maximising it, it’s about matching it to the size of move you expect and the loss you can absorb if you are wrong.

What leverage actually does

Leverage increases your market exposure relative to the margin you post. A 10x leveraged position on €100 of margin controls €1, 000 of market exposure. A 1% move in the underlying asset generates a 10% change in your margin, a gain of €10 if it moves in your direction, a loss of €10 if it moves against you. This amplification works in both directions and also determines your liquidation price. The higher your leverage, the closer the liquidation price is to the current market price. Before you confirm any leveraged order, the order panel shows your estimated liquidation price, if it’s uncomfortably close to the current price, reduce your leverage or increase your margin before proceeding.

How to set leverage on Web

Leverage is set in the order panel before you place an order:

  1. Open the X-Perps order panel, on the right side of the trading interface and choose "Trade".

  2. Choose the margin mode "Selected" or "Isolated"

  3. Find the leverage selector, displayed as a multiplier (e.g. 3x) in the order panel.

  4. Tap or click the leverage value, a slider or input field will appear.

  5. Set your leverage, adjust to your chosen value between 1x and 10x.

  6. Your estimated liquidation price and required margin update automatically, check these before placing the order.

How to set leverage on App

  1. Open the OKX app and navigate to X-Perps

  2. Select the market you want to trade

  3. In the order panel, find the leverage selector

  4. Tap the leverage value to open the slider or input

  5. Adjust to your chosen level between 1x and 10x

  6. Your estimated liquidation price and margin requirement update automatically

  7. Review the liquidation price before proceeding to place your order

Remember: Leverage is set per order, not per account. You can use different leverage on different positions.

Choosing the right leverage

here is no single correct leverage level, it depends on your strategy, your risk tolerance, and how much room you want the position to have before it reaches your liquidation price. The right question to ask is not "how much leverage can I use?" but "how much leverage is appropriate for the size of move I'm trading and the loss I can accept if I'm wrong?"

A practical way to think about it: decide your maximum acceptable loss on the trade first. Then set leverage so that your stop-loss triggers at that loss level before your liquidation price is reached. This means your stop-loss is always between your entry and your liquidation price, giving you a controlled exit before the platform forces one.

Lower leverage (1x–3x)

Lower leverage gives your position significantly more room to absorb adverse moves before liquidation is triggered. A 2x position needs the underlying asset to move 50% against you before your margin is wiped out. This makes lower leverage appropriate when:

  • You are holding a position for longer than a few hours

  • You expect volatility and want to avoid being shaken out by normal price swings

  • You are less certain about the exact timing of the move you expect

  • You are new to derivatives and still building intuition for how positions behave

Higher leverage (7x–10x)

Higher leverage compresses the distance between your entry and your liquidation price substantially. At 10x, a 10% adverse move is enough to liquidate your position. Higher leverage is only appropriate when:

  • You have a well-defined entry and a tight stop-loss already set

  • You are actively monitoring the position

  • The trade is short-term and high-conviction

It is not appropriate for holding positions overnight, for trades where you are uncertain about timing, or for traders who are new to derivatives. The potential for fast losses is significantly higher at maximum leverage.

A useful rule of thumb

Before placing a leveraged order, always check the estimated liquidation price shown in the order panel. If it is closer to the current market price than you are comfortable with, reduce your leverage or increase your margin before proceeding.

Leverage and margin mode interact

Your leverage setting and your margin mode work together to determine your overall risk on a position. It’s important to understand both before placing a trade.

  1. Isolated Margin With Isolated Margin, the margin assigned to a position is capped at the amount you allocate. If the position is liquidated, only that margin is lost, the rest of your account balance is unaffected. This gives you precise control over your maximum loss on each trade and makes your risk transparent and predictable. Isolated Margin is the more conservative choice for most traders.

  2. Selected Margin With Selected Margin, your position can draw on more of your available margin balance to stay open if the market moves against you. This can help avoid liquidation in volatile conditions but means more of your account is exposed. If you hold multiple positions under Selected Margin, an adverse move on one position can draw down the balance available to support others.

A common approach is to use lower leverage with Isolated Margin. You know exactly how much you are risking, your liquidation price is clear, and your maximum loss is defined and contained to that position alone.If you are new to derivatives, start with 2x or 3x leverage and build intuition for how your positions behave before scaling up. The mechanics of leverage are the same at 2x as at 10x, the only difference is the margin for error.

Disclaimer:

This content is provided for informational purposes only and may cover products that are not available in your region. It does not constitute investment or financial product advice, not it is a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell financial instruments or to engage in any specific trading strategy.

Trading in financial instruments involves a significant risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. If you invest in X-Perps or other derivatives you may lose some or all of the money you invest. X-Perps are leveraged instruments; leverage can amplify both gains and losses. The value of investments and any income derived from them can go down as well as up, and you may not recover the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite before engaging in any trading activity.

OKX Europe Markets Ltd ("OEM"), which is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the Investment Services Act (Chapter 370 of the Laws of Malta) as a Investment Services Licence Holder (Licence No. OEML-15905).

© 2026 OKX. This article may be reproduced or distributed in its entirety, or excerpts of 100 words or less of this article may be used, provided such use is non-commercial. Any reproduction or distribution of the entire article must also prominently state: “This article is © 2026 OKX and is used with permission.”

Permitted excerpts must cite to the name of the article and include attribution, for example “Article Name, [author name if applicable], © 2026 OKX. Some content may be generated or assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) tools. No derivative works or other uses of this article are permitted.

Disclaimer
This content is provided for informational purposes only and may cover products that are not available in your region. It is not intended to provide (i) investment advice or an investment recommendation; (ii) an offer or solicitation to buy, sell, or hold crypto/digital assets, or (iii) financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. Crypto/digital asset holdings, including stablecoins, involve a high degree of risk and can fluctuate greatly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding crypto/digital assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Please consult your legal/tax/investment professional for questions about your specific circumstances. Information (including market data and statistical information, if any) appearing in this post is for general information purposes only. While all reasonable care has been taken in preparing this data and graphs, no responsibility or liability is accepted for any errors of fact or omission expressed herein.

© 2025 OKX. This article may be reproduced or distributed in its entirety, or excerpts of 100 words or less of this article may be used, provided such use is non-commercial. Any reproduction or distribution of the entire article must also prominently state: “This article is © 2025 OKX and is used with permission.” Permitted excerpts must cite to the name of the article and include attribution, for example “Article Name, [author name if applicable], © 2025 OKX.” Some content may be generated or assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) tools. No derivative works or other uses of this article are permitted.

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